Contingent Workforce Solutions

October, 2009 - Three Year Extension of E-Verify Program Approved

On Thursday, October, 15, the House approved a homeland security funding bill that would renew the E-Verify program. E-Verify checks employee information from I-9 forms against Social Security and the Department of Homeland Security databases, and is used voluntarily by more than 148,000 employers (see July 2009, Synergy IC Spotlight Blog).

A provision to extend the E-Verify program for three years was included in a $42.8 billion appropriations measure the House approved, 307-114, that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for the next fiscal year.

The bill was a product of House-Senate negotiations and is expected to be approved by the Senate.

It allocates $137 million to improve E-Verify's accuracy and compliance rates and $135 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hire special agents for workplace immigration audits.

Senate amendments that would have permanently authorized E-Verify and would have secured a regulation that makes E-Verify mandatory for federal contractors were dropped.

Synergy and E-Verify

Beginning October 22, 2009, Synergy Services will begin verifying all W-2 contractors' identification and employment authorizing documents through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Employment Eligibility Verification process, known as E-Verify.

This government provided service will provide Synergy with the best available information regarding a W-2 contractor's eligibility to work in the United States. This service will simplify the new hire enrollment process for W-2 contractors and expedite enrollment finalization.

| | |